Critically Assess Australian foreign policy in the 1930s. essays

Critically Assess Australian foreign policy in the 1930s. essays During the 1930s, Australia struggled to find itself a foreign policy that would not only protect its interests in the Pacific region, but would also enable it to gain prestige and standing within the international community. Consequently, Australias foreign policies during this period oscillated to suit the turmoil that enveloped the world, particularly during the late 1930s. This paper will attempt to critically evaluate the various policies employed by Australia, and the reasons behind the use of each. This will be done by detailing the foreign policies of Australia, and why they were enacted. It has been said that the principal aim of Australian foreign policy during the inter-war years was to preserve peace, and its secondary objective was to ensure that if war came, the Empire was well prepared. The logic behind this was that the League of Nations could not be trusted, but the Empire could. Australia had matured greatly as a result of the Great War, and was now recognised internationally as a more independent, developing nation, which was a result of Hughes efforts at the Paris peace conference. However, its links to the British Empire were still very much prevalent and as will be seen this was to have a profound influence on Australias foreign policies during the 1930s. Initially, Australia was not so concerned about her foreign policy, and could even be said that she neglected to have one. The reason for this was that it was widely believed that Britain would come to her rescue, should the need arise. Indeed, up until Versailles, the Mother Country had possessed a massive dominance over Australias international affairs. It continued to do so during the 1920s, but to a lesser extent than before. It was generally held that Britain would provide foreign policies to Australia as they were needed. Mansergh believes that Australia aspired in her own interests no...